The Only One
by Pinjarai
Summary: Kiara is a member of the ANBU Black Ops. But..she has a problem. Her hand signs are incredibly slow. What happens when Tsunade orders the Elders to give Kiara the daunting task of retrieving Sasuke from Otogakure?
1. Chapter 1

"Kuso." The curse escaped a pair of parted lips as a frustrated whisper. "She's late." The brown haired male eyed the elder men before him. He gave them a smile, and allowed a nervous chuckle to escape his throat. "Eh-heh." He raised a hand and idly placed it behind his head. "I am terribly sorry about this, Honorable Elders... It is not like her to be late. She is usually more than prompt, if not _early_." The man let his hand fall lazily back to his side. "Perhaps she was needed elsewhere...?" That lone question seemed to stir the elder men to life.

"Nonsense," replied the man in the center. "I am sure nothing is more important to this girl than meeting with the Elders of Konohagakure." The man sighed heavily. "Ever since the fourth Hokage was killed three years ago, we have had difficulty in ascertaining peace for our village. ...Tsunade is at a loss of what to do. I am beginning to doubt her ability to lead Konoha." A solemn expression creased the elderly man's already wrinkled features. "Iruka, we need the girl's help." He outstretched a hand towards the rice-paper door. "Now go. We will wait all day if we must."

Iruka sighed and bowed before the group of elderly gentlemen. He then lifted his head, allowing his brown eyes to fall upon the man in the center. "Hai, Danzo-sama." The tone of Iruka's voice betrayed his embarrassment. "I will go and find her at once." With that, the Chuunin excused himself, and exited the room.

Iruka broke out into a full-blown run once safely outside of the building.

"Kiara!" he exclaimed. "Kiara! Where are you?! I need you at the ninja academy _right now_!" Iruka stopped upon reaching a break in the trees. _Kuso_, he thought. _Just when I need her, she goes missing on me! _The man paled at the mere thought of having to return to Danzo and the other Elders empty-handed. _No! _He shook his head vigorously. _I will not fail them!_ Iruka raised a clenched fist, as if preparing to speak a dramatic declaration of love. "I will not give up until I find her!"

The male darted off again, this time heading towards the nearest visible body of water. Danzo and the others had not spoke of why they needed Kiara. The girl was a talented Chuunin, and a valuable member of the ANBU Black Ops, but that still did not erase the fact that her weaknesses greatly overcompensated for her strengths. However, the Elders still desired her for _something_. Iruka was not certain what that particular something was, and that disturbed him greatly. He felt like an ostracized member of society. It were as if others were keeping a great, overbearing secret from him. Besides, Kiara had once been his student... He did not particularly like the idea of something negative happening to her, let alone _any _of his students. ...But it was too late for that, wasn't it? Everyone in Konoha had already been through so much suffering, and Iruka believed it impossible for them to experience any more heartache...

The man came to a sudden and abrupt stop as the voice of a young woman reached his ears. It was gentle and calm, yet it betrayed an odd sense of urgency.

"One...two...three.."

Iruka blinked and took a step forward. He called out into the dense foliage, halfway expecting an answer. "Kiara?"

Again the voice spoke, but this time it was a shout; the cry of an attack. "EARTH SHATTERING NO JUTSU!"

Iruka narrowed his eyes, and jumped upwards as the ground beneath him cracked and split apart. The jutsu had been incredibly powerful, to say the least. Had Iruka not jumped, the ground would have overtaken him. ...Just as quickly as the earth had split apart, however, it folded back together. It were as if the attack had never occurred in the first place. Iruka sighed as he felt the ground safely beneath him once more. The calm and gentle voice of a young teenaged female, an incredibly Earth-based jutsu, the counting... Yes, there was no longer any doubt within Iruka's mind. The individual he had heard was, indeed, Hotodasuke Kiara.

Mere moments passed before the dense foliage in front of Iruka rustled. A slender, lightly tanned hand reached out from behind the thicket of brush, and pulled back the gnarled branches. It was not long before the slender figure of a young female revealed itself from behind the leaves. A long black dress clung tightly to the female's lean frame, revealing a fair amount of cleavage. Two elongated slits ran upwards on either side of the dress and ended at her thighs, revealing the tight black pants she wore underneath. A pair of black open-toed sandals adorned her feet, whereas a glistening Konohagakure headband rested upon the top of her head. Straight, golden tresses cascaded to her waist, leaving two long bangs to fall down either side of her face.

The teenager stepped through the thicket of branches, allowing them to snap shut behind her. She appeared to be no more than fifteen years in age, and in this case one could trust the estimated guess made upon her age. The girl's sparkling emerald gaze fell upon Iruka, who was in front of her within moments.

"Oh... Ohayo, Iruka-sensei." The girl yawned and stretched. "You look worried...Is something wrong?"

Iruka crossed his arms over his chest. "_You _were _supposed _to meet with the Elders this morning, Kiara! You have kept them waiting!"

The girl instantly paled. "G-gomen nasai, Iruka-sensei! I did not mean to...That I-"

Iruka raised a hand to silence the Chuunin. Then: "You were practicing your jutsus again?"

Kiara's emerald gaze shifted back to the thicket of gnarled branches. She nodded. "Hai." A soft smile tugged at the girl's lips as she closed her eyes and inclined her head to the side. "Practice makes perfect, and besides..." She opened her eyes and shifted her head back to its correct position. "...you can never be too careful."

Iruka sighed. The girl spent much of her free time practicing that she rarely had time for other activities. To say Kiara was dedicated to being a ninja would be a grave understatement. Though Kiara was extremely talented, Iruka could not help but worry for her. After all, the main reason Kiara practiced her jutsus so much was so that she would be able to increase the speed at which she executed her hand signs. The girl was highly skilled with ninjutsu as well as long distance attacks, but not much of that mattered if she did not have the speed to perform her jutsus. One good thing, however, _did _come about as a result of Kiara's below average speed. The strength and power of her jutsus were incredible. Iruka often mused to himself that _that _was the reason why Kiara was sought out to become a member of ANBU Black Ops.

"-ka-sensei! Iruka-sensei!"

The man shook his head. "Gomen, Kiara. What is it you were saying?"

The girl frowned. A small sigh slipped past her delicate lips. "Nevermind," she replied. "Let's go..." Kiara strode past the older male, but stopped abruptly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I have no wish of making the Elders wait for me any longer than they already have."


	2. Problematic Circumstances

Kiara quietly padded into the ninja academy. She bowed before the group of elderly gentlemen, and greeted them as proper mandate dictated.

"Ohayo, Honorable Elders." Kiara straightened her posture, and stepped closer to the man in the center. "I apologize for not arriving here on time. There is no excuse for which I can provide for my tardiness."

Iruka stepped into the room shortly after his former student, and took to standing near a paneled wall. He remained silent as Kiara apologized, but cleared his throat to speak on her behalf.

"Kiara was practicing her jutsus nearby. She is a member of the ANBU Black Ops, but her continuous practice is necessary. I pray that will justify her."

The elderly man in the middle contemplated Iruka's words before speaking. An expression of shock crossed his wrinkled features, as if a puzzle piece had suddenly fallen into place within his mind. He raised a shaking finger, and pointed towards the girl with waist length golden hair. "Iruka, you mean to tell us that the tremor we felt..." He shook his head, as if clearing his mind, and pointed sharply at Kiara again. "You are trying to say that the cause of the tremor that rocked the village only minutes ago was this _girl_?"

"Her Earth Shattering no Jutsu, to be precise," Iruka answered, grinning. The Chuunin was pleased, to say the least, that the strength and power of Kiara's abilities could shock the Elders so quickly.

Danzo's shocked expression transformed back into one of calm serenity. He lowered his finger, and instead raised a balled fist to his mouth. He coughed and cleared this throat, allowing himself ample time to readjust to the situation. He then lowered his hand, and placed it upon his lap. "...I see..." The man turned to his fellow companions, all of whom gave a reassuring nod. Danzo nodded in response, and turned to face Iruka and Kiara once again. "Well, this recent development only _reaffirms _our decision to give you this mission."

_Mission? _Kiara thought, stepping forward. "Is this why you requested my presence this morning? You wish to give me a mission?"

Danzo leaned back in his chair. "Indeed. This mission is a request from the Honorable Hokage herself." He paused when the girl shot him an incredulous look. "Tsunade would have spoken with you herself, but she is preoccupied with training Haruno Sakura."

The Elder's explanation caused the girl's steadfast demeanor to falter briefly. "Gomen, Danzo-sama. I did not mean-"

Danzo raised a hand. "No apology needed."

Kiara nodded. "I-I understand and promise to do my best."

Danzo cleared his throat again. "Very well...Now heed these words," The Elder then proceeded to give a brief overview of the mission, "You will infiltrate Otogakure and bring Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha."

Kiara's eyes widened, and her body instantly became rigid. "S-Sasuke...?" She gripped the scroll tightly. "Demo-!" It took the girl a fair amount of time to steady herself. "But he-"

Danzo silenced her. "We are quite aware of the dangers of trusting him; however, we are in need of his help. There is no choice but to have him return to Konoha." He narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "You are to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, and then you will return to Konoha with him. Are we clear, Kiara?"

Kiara frowned. "I understand what you are telling me, Danzo-sama, but I am afraid I must refuse to take this mission." She inwardly winced as the aggravated look in Danzo's eyes quickly changed into one of blinding fury. She then proceeded to speak again. "Please, Honorable Elders, you _must _hear me out. I have valid reasoning for not accepting this mission."

Danzo folded his hands together and leaned forward. "Oh?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Hai," Kiara replied, nodding. She gestured to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei failed to mention something _extremely _important about me. I must apologize for not telling you sooner..."

"And what _exactly_," Danzo inquired, "is this fact that you, so plainly put, is '_extremely _important'?"

Kiara was determined to keep her steadfast demeanor, and she did so by focusing her emerald gaze on Danzo, and _solely _Danzo. Her grip tightened around the sealed scroll within her grasp. "The only reason _why _my jutsus hold the strength and power that they do is because I am very precise with my hand signs."

"This is typical and logical," stated Danzo, obviously.

Kiara shook her head. "No, you do not understand. When I say precise, I mean that I will look to make sure my hand sign is _absolutely _correct before I continue with the next one... Sometimes I will even count my hand signs, though that only appears to be a nervous habit of mine." The girl bowed her head. "As a result, my speed is greatly decreased yet my attacks are more potent. If I were forced to fight Sasuke, I would be no match for his speed. He would slaughter me, and I would shame Konoha as well as my entire clan," she admitted, shamefully. "And I simply could not live with that!"

Danzo leaned back in his seat and turned to glance at his colleagues. They spoke in hushed whispers amongst themselves, and one of the men whispered something into Danzo's ear. He nodded, and whirled back around in his seat to face Kiara.

"I have spoken with my fellow Elders, and we still believe you are the best individual to undertake a difficult mission such as this."

Kiara raised her head in an instant. "Demo, Danzo-sama! I am no match for the sole surviving member of the genius Uchiha clan!"

"If," Danzo lowered his voice, "and _only _if you undertake this mission and are successful will the honor of your clan be restored."

The girl's body stiffened, and her eyes widened. The Elders were giving her a chance to restore the honor of her devastated clan... Kiara had promised herself that if the opportunity arose to obtain honor for her fallen family members, she would gladly seize the chance and do whatever was necessary. Her grip around the scroll tightened so much that it caused her knuckles to become deathly white. "But what of my speed?" she asked, worriedly.

A low chuckle escaped Danzo's lips. "Think of this as a learning experience. To become a stronger member of the ANBU Black Ops..._No, _to become a stronger _ninja_, go through with this mission. It will aid you with increasing the speed of you hand signs, believe me."

Kiara regarded the elder man carefully for a moment as different scenarios quickly flashed within her mind. Once the girl had completely thought through the different ways the mission could unfold, she sighed."Very well then." Kiara bowed before the group of elderly gentlemen. "Tell the Honorable Hokage that I accept this mission."

"Excellent." Danzo gestured to the door. "You are now excused, Kiara."

"Arigatou, Danzo-sama." Kiara straightened her posture, and stepped towards the door.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

Kiara hesitated as she slid open the shoji door. "Hai, Danzo-sama?"

The man's voice bore a dark, threatening tone. "Do _not _fail us, Hotodasuke Kiara."

Kiara merely nodded and stepped through the opening. Once the door was safely secured behind her, she began padding down the hallway. She held the scroll firmly within her right hand, and bowed her head in a solemn manner. Her voice lowered to a mere whisper as she exited the main entrance of the ninja academy. "...I will not fail you, Honorable Elders... You can rest assured that I will have Uchiha Sasuke safely return to Konoha, for by doing so I will _finally _be able to restore honor to my devastated clan."

(Viola! There is chapter two! I hope to have chapters three and four up soon...

Kiara: As soon as you stop procrastinating, that is.

Pinjarai: Shuddap, Ki-chan! You're not helping!

Sasuke: And I come into this...when..?

Pinjarai: I'unno. Chapter six or seven?

Sasuke: And I thought this story was mainly about _me? _

Pinjarai: Yeah, well, you're training. So stuff it!

Sasuke: -narrows eyes and draws his katana- What did you say...?

Kiara: Oh dear. This will not end well.

Pinjarai: -runs away from Sasuke while screaming- Please review, minna-san!!!!!!! AAAIIIEEE!!!!!)


End file.
